What you need to know
- A recent report by CounterPoint Research indicated that Google's latest foldable, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold, seems to be pushing sales for the company in Europe by 265%.
- Samsung still takes first place; however, it saw a 24% dip in sales, while Motorola overtook Honor to become the second-largest smartphone vendor in Europe.
- The overall foldable market in Europe grew by only 4% in Q1, accounting for 1.5% of the total smartphone sales in the region.
- Google, TECNO, and Xiaomi saw growth in this segment following the launch of their new devices.
Google's Pixel 9 Pro Fold has pushed the tech giant to become one of Europe's fastest-growing foldables, according to a new report by CounterPoint Research. The firm released a comprehensive report discussing the region's foldable scene.
It stated that the overall foldable market experienced only a 4% growth this quarter, accounting for 1.5% of total smartphone sales in Europe. CounterPoint Research's associate director, Jan Stryjak, said that this could be a worrying sign, as foldables are still very expensive and may hinder increased adoption.
"Despite all the attention new foldable devices receive, they are still too expensive for mass-market appeal. Further, most consumers are still not sure what a foldable phone is for, and many still have concerns about the durability and longevity of the devices," Stryjak added.
Breaking things down, CounterPoint Research noted that despite Samsung leading the table, it saw a 24% drop in sales in Q1 this year. This decrease in sales can be attributed to waning interest in Samsung's phones, which have failed to compete with other popular models on the market.
Meanwhile, Motorola overtook Honor for second place and saw a 58% increase in sales this quarter, thanks to the Motorola Razr 2024 series.
The firm notes that Google, TECNO, and Xiaomi all "saw robust growth over the year following the launches of some impressive devices, some also at more attractive price points."
TECNO and Google became the fastest-growing foldable OEMs, with 336% and 265% growth, respectively, contributing 8% to the overall foldable market. While Google's growth was attributed to the Pixel 9 Pro Fold, TECNO saw a boost thanks to its relatively affordable Phantom V Fold 2.
On the other end, OPPO saw the highest percentage (63%) of decline in sales, and accounted for only 4% of overall sales in the segment.
The firm also suggested that Samsung needs to get more innovative if it wants to appeal to consumers in this specific segment. It states that "Samsung has taken note, teasing the launch of an Ultra variant of its upcoming Galaxy Z Fold 7 series. This will hopefully give the segment the shot in the arm it needs," Stryjak added.
Samsung is expected to launch the next line of foldables sometime in July this year, and recent rumors indicate that the next Unpacked event will be held in New York.
For more news and information on Samsung’s upcoming foldables, check out our Ultimate Guide.
It's mind boggling to think that Google could introduce such a drastically different device compared to the first iteration. However, we couldn't be more thankful that the 9 Pro Fold shares little with its predecessor.
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